Urban birds

Cities threaten millions of years of bird evolution

A study led by Daniel Sol, CISC researcher based at CREAF, shows that cities preserve 450 million years less evolutionary history compared to natural environments. Birds capable of surviving in highly urbanized environments have undergone recent evolution. The arrival of exotic species does not compensate for poor urban evolutionary diversity.

Aves @en Biodiversity Birds Blackbird Cities Csic @en Daniel sol @en Diversity Doñana @en Dove Ecology letters @en Evolution Exotic species Finch Hoopoe Ignasi bartomeus @en Magpie Phylogeny Swallow Urban birds

Singing in higher pitches is no guarantee of success for city birds

An international study with participation of CREAF has concluded that singing in higher pitches is no guarantee of success for city birds. This was after observing city-dwelling birds in around 20 cities worldwide, Barcelona being one of them. The researchers compared around 400 species and analyzed whether these were more abundant in their natural habitat or in urban areas.

Biodiversity Birdsong Daniel sol @en Invasions @en Maria moirón Survive_hirec @en Urban birds Urban ecology